Chaos at Mumbai airport for 3 hours on Thursday evening as optic cable damaged

Mumbai: Chaos reigned at Mumbai airport for three hours on Thursday evening when check-in systems stopped working after a fibre optic cable was damaged.

Airport sources said at least 40 flights departing from Terminal 2 were delayed. Terminal 1 was unaffected.

“Passengers are requested to allocate additional time for check-in and to connect with their respective airlines,” a spokesperson for Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) said. “Our teams are present on the ground and manual processing has been initiated.”

Airlines also requested their passengers to show up early to complete check-in formalities on time.

Yet there were serpentine queues as boarding passes had to be issued manually at kiosks by airline staff. Harrowed passengers took to social media to express their frustration.

“The sheer timing of placing your bag for check-in and all systems going down at that exact moment at Mumbai airport. Complete standstill and this is how we begin the weekend,” said one.

Others complained of huge crowds and long queues. Air India responded to multiple users on Twitter, saying their team was working “diligently” to reduce the inconvenience.

Indigo and Vistara also confirmed that their flights were affected by the system collapse.

Civil Aviation Ministry officials said the network was interrupted after a fibre optic cable was damaged during construction work in the city.

The interruption affected ticketing and check-in systems of airlines. The system was restored eventually but left a cascading effect on departures.